He was intimidating. A well-known warrior, he held his weaponry with expertise and called out his challenge: “Choose your man! Bring me the fight!” Young David wasn’t supposed to be there, on the other side of the battle lines. The book of 1 Samuel tells us he was a mere […]
Inconceivable Losses
Masoud is a Syrian refugee. Last year, his wife gave birth to their sixth child, but just a few days after being born, the newborn died. The child had suddenly become ill, but they didn’t have the means to pay for medical care. One hospital refused him service. Another hospital, […]
Living Among Refugees: Opportunities for the Gospel
Imagine having to say goodbye to your homeland indefinitely. Imagine heading toward a life in a foreign land and culture where you don’t really want to be. Our friends here have undergone this frightening shift. Now they struggle to find identity, educate their children, and make a living in this […]
Peace Like a Drug
It’d been weeks since our friend Tony had seen Husain, a young Muslim man in a region with some of the hardest spiritual ground in the world. Husain was dissatisfied with Islam. When he saw a Christian program on TV, he contacted the network for more information. His information was […]
Living Among Refugees: The Diaspora
“If there is no noise of fighting at night, we don’t sleep well anymore.” It is a joke that isn’t really that funny. But my friend’s words capture the reality for those who have lived through violence: the task of learning to cope with and getting accustomed to war. Others […]
South Asia
South Asia, home to India and Bangladesh, has some of the highest concentrations of unengaged Muslim people groups in the world. Millions of Muslim men and women have no known believers and no one trying to reach them with the hope of the Gospel. Tough living conditions await those who […]
Living Among Refugees: Leaving the Homeland
The refugees poured into the parks, spread out their blankets, and set out plates of favorite homemade dishes and holiday treats. The first day of spring, Nowroz, is a popular holiday in the homeland, and thousands of refugees were taking advantage of their relative safety and new freedom to celebrate […]
Three Golden Rings
As the disheveled woman approached me in the parked car, I could tell she was distressed. “Do you know of a shelter or safe house for women here?” she asked me. “No, I don’t,” I responded. “Are you OK?” Her name was Zayda, and she was married to an abusive […]
The Tombs of Transformation
We met at an ancient grave—a sacred tomb near the center of the slum. Someone had swept away the trash and spread large woven mats on the hard-packed earth. A handful of women met us there and invited us to sit down. Over a dozen more women soon joined us. […]
Baptized in the Arab Gulf
It could have been a night like any other. The strong smell of salt hung in the warm breeze as we walked towards the water. I could hardly believe what was happening. Joy fluttered about wildly in my heart. Steps away from the water, our group of six men sat […]